LEAGUE NOTES

MARTIN CASE: PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem and
Casey Martin's attorney William Wiswall have contributed
opinion pieces to ESPN's SportsZone regarding Martin's case,
which goes to trial Monday. Finchem: "The PGA Tour strongly
supports the spirit of the [ADA] ... [b]ut we also have an
obligation to our members and the sport to provide
tournament conditions that are equitable for all golfers."
Wiswall: "The PGA Tour has missed a golden opportunity to
embrace a highly talented golfer. It should accommodate
Casey Martin" (ESPN SportsZone, 1/30)....In the Bergen
RECORD, Adrian Wojnarowski criticized Tiger Woods for not
supporting Martin's quest and wrote that Nike's "most famous
golfing pitchman is nowhere to be found." Last year, Woods'
"mandate" was to make golf "the game of all the people. ...
Sadly, Woods has learned his Madison Avenue lessons well,
the ones Michael Jordan has perfected: Courageous stands
don't push product." Wojnarowski: "So far, [Woods] seems
perfectly content to win majors, collect his endorsements,
and never miss a Planet Hollywood bash" (RECORD, 1/29).
NHL: Blues F Brett Hull, who lashed out against the
league Wednesday, saying the quality of play "sucks," spoke
with Commissioner Gary Bettman yesterday, according to Tom
Wheatley of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Hull: "[Bettman]
said 'We see everything you do on the ice. We're addressing
it. But we don't need you to say the game sucks.' And he's
right" (POST-DISPATCH, 1/30). In Calgary, Jim Kernaghan
writes that the NHL "will be whatever marketing dictates ...
[t]his isn't about sports you know, it's about what Bettman
likes to call 'growing the league' and establishing a
greater NHL 'footprint'" (FREE PRESS/CALGARY SUN, 1/30).